Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson, center, hugs guard Stephen Curry after Curry was taken out of the game as forward Draymond Green looks on during the second half in Game 7 of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series, Saturday, May 3, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Clippers won 126-121.

Photo: Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press

Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson, center, hugs guard...

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A Golden State Warriors fan shows support during the first half of Game 7 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against Los Angeles Clippers, Saturday, May 3, 2014, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Photo: Ringo H.W. Chiu, Associated Press

A Golden State Warriors fan shows support during the first half of...

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as the Golden State Warriors were beaten by the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121in game 7 of the Western Division Conference playoffs at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday May 3, 2014.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

as the Golden State Warriors were beaten by the Los Angeles...

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Stephen Curry (30) walks off the court at the end of the game as the Clippers defeated the Warriors 126-121. The Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., in Game 7 of the Western Conference first round playoffs on Saturday, May 3, 2014.

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 19: Jermaine O'Neal #7 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates in the closing moments of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 19, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. The Warriors won 109-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Clippers' Chris Paul, (2) and Stephen Curry, (30) greet each other after the game, as the Golden State Warriors were beaten by the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 in game 7 of the Western Division Conference playoffs at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday May 3, 2014.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Clippers' Chris Paul, (2) and Stephen Curry, (30) greet each other...

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Clippers' Blake Griffin, (32) drives into Draymond Green, (23) and Harrison Barnes, (40) in the 4th quarter, as the Golden State Warriors were beaten by the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121in game 7 of the Western Division Conference playoffs at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday May 3, 2014.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Clippers' Blake Griffin, (32) drives into Draymond Green, (23) and...

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Head coach Mark Jackson with his team during an officials review during the second half, as the Golden State Warriors take on the Los Angeles Clippers in game 7 of the Western Division Conference playoffs at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday May 3, 2014.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Head coach Mark Jackson with his team during an officials review...

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Stephen Curry (30) and head coach Mark Jackson talk during a timeout in the first half. The Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., in Game 5 of the first round NBA Playoffs on Tuesday, April 29, 2014.

LOS ANGELES -- - Warriors owner Joe Lacob consistently has said that he'll wait until after the season to evaluate the performance of Mark Jackson, seeking input from multiple sources before making a decision about the final year of the head coach's contract.

The team's players didn't waste any time, offering their advice to the owner. Just minutes after their season ended in a Game 7, first-round loss to the Clippers on Saturday night, the players unanimously supported Jackson coming back for the 2014-15 season.

"What Coach has gone through this year has been unlike anything I've seen - just the amount of distractions, the circus that has been around him and the decisions he has had to make," Warriors point guard Stephen Curry said. "I love Coach more than anybody. For him to be in a position where his job is under scrutiny and under questions is totally unfair.

"It would definitely be a shock to me if anything like (a firing) would happen. I'm definitely going to voice my support for Coach to anybody that asks me all summer.

"He deserves to be our coach next year, and we're going to come back and build off of the momentum we've gained over the past three years and continue to grow as a team. I want Coach Jackson to be that guy leading us."

Jackson has led the Warriors to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2006-08, consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1990-92 and two straight 45-win seasons for the first time since 1975-77.

Even with those numbers, Jackson has found himself under fire for behind-the-scenes dealings. The Warriors chose simply to pick up his 2014-15 option - instead of offering him an extension after last season's attention-grabbing playoff run - and this season's stretch run included shadowy departures of two assistant coaches.

"That's nothing we can worry about. That's really out of our hands," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "At the end of the day, we did everything we could do to fight for Coach. He did everything he could do to fight for us. We're not going to act like this was a one-way street. He put everything he had into it."

Curry and Green are among a large group of the Warriors' players who view Jackson as more than a coach - as a family figure, who knows their life secrets and regularly breaks bread with them, and as a spiritual leader, who has strengthened their faith and moral actions.

More than half of the Warriors' roster attended Jackson's Southern California church on Easter, and they perhaps have the league's highest-attended pregame chapel sessions.

"It's more than basketball," swingman Andre Iguodala said. "His presence affects the entire team on a respect level and on a spiritual level. He has made every guy a better man, and those are the things you'll remember when looking back on your career - not only how you grew as a basketball player, but also how you grew as a man.

"That's a very rare trait to find in a basketball coach. For most, it's all about wins and losses, but to him, it's about the effect that he can have in helping somebody grow. He sees the bigger picture in life."

It's unclear if Lacob will give the players a voice in his decision on Jackson, or if the owner will rely heavily on executive board member Jerry West, general manager Bob Myers and others among the basketball-operations staff.

The players are hoping that Curry - as the face of the franchise - has earned a voice in the matter.

"Obviously, we're not the ones making the decisions," Curry said. "We came into the season thinking this was a long-term situation, but obviously, he's been having to answer these questions all year. I don't think we have (played our last game for Jackson), and I don't think most of the guys in the locker room do. I'll just leave it at that."

Tension continued after game

- A hard-fought, seven-game series between the Warriors and Clippers only added to the escalating feud between the teams and eventually spilled into a postgame squabble Saturday night, according to multiple sources and reports.

Soon after the Clippers advanced to the second round with a 126-121 victory at Staples Center, the Warriors thought they heard an opposing assistant coach mocking their silenced locker room.

Some of the players, including Steve Blake, Stephen Curry and Marreese Speights, raced into the hallway that connects the teams' locker rooms, but they found only ball boys. Eventually, the Clippers' Matt Barnes, Glen Davis and Chris Paul found their way toward the commotion, which developed into a heated verbal exchange.

Though no punches are believed to have been thrown, police were called to assist the arena security with defusing the situation and keeping players from entering opposing locker rooms.